Financial aid professionals know that understanding the basics is critical to administering federal student aid.
For those who are new to financial aid or want a refresher on the basics, the Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) offers a Fundamentals Training Series.
The FSA Fundamentals Training Series consists of:
- A complete a set of online training courses. These will provide a comprehensive understanding of the student aid life cycle, institutional eligibility, and your role in administering Title IV funds.
- An online self-paced training that takes 30-40 hours to complete.
- After completing the Fundamentals series, individuals will register to attend a virtual workshop led by FSA training officers. The week-long workshop expands on the online training by providing case studies, discussion, and hands-on activities.
- The 2025–26 award year workshops start in September and are offered for both clock-hour and credit-hour programs.
To access the FSA Fundamentals Training series, go to the FSA Training Center and select Training Courses from the main menu.
The FSA Basic Training for New Staff, found in Training Courses, provides a comprehensive training option for anyone who doesn’t need or want to attend the week-long workshop.
Questions on which training might be the best option for you can be directed to helpdesk.fsatraining@ed.gov.
